Skinny Vegan

It’s Sports Illustrated’s Valentine to men everywhere: the 2012 Swimsuit issue hit stands today, with 18 models posing on beautiful beaches from Zambia to the Seychelles. But for 24-year-old Jessica Perez, who appears in the magazine for the first time this year, it’s also a career jumpstarter. The newly relocated New Yorker kept a diary of the days leading up to shoot, and what it’s like to balance a regular-girl lifestyle with the pursuit of physical perfection. “Modeling is such a physically demanding job, and a lot of girls end up passing out from ‘exhaustion,’” she says, “I’m thinking, uh, she just needs to eat!”

Monday

7:30am:  
“I started my day with cereal with rice milk and an Earl Grey tea. I do eat dairy, but I find regular milk upsets my stomach. I need my caffeine kick, but since I have a sensitive stomach, I usually choose tea.”

9:00am:
“I met with my trainer who had me do lots of slow, controlled exercises that require stability and balance with resistance bands, which helps me hold all those bizarre poses on set.”

10:30am:
“Headed to my castings for the day — a London-based catalogue client. I’m glad I got my workout in, since that always makes me feel more confident. It takes a lot of self-assurance to stand there in your underwear or a bikini with 15 people staring at you thinking about what could be different or better. You just have to say, this is me, take it!”

1:00pm: 
“Arrived home, made a spinach, Swiss cheese and mushroom sandwich on toasted whole wheat bread. Instead of thinking about health as something that makes me feel bad or guilty, I try to focus on doing a lot of good for myself. Sometimes you just have to change the way you think about things — not actually change what you do.”

2:00pm:
“Took my dog, Sasha, out for a 15 min. walk. She needs to be walked four times per day even if it’s raining or snowing. My boyfriend helps. It’s nice to have a little mini cardio dose here and there.”

3:00pm:
“After getting some paperwork done, I researched dresses to wear to upcoming events. I look at Style.com to see if there’s anything from the new collections my stylist should pull. The way you feel when you wear something can make or break a look, so I like having a say in what I wear.”

6:00pm:
“Started making lentil soup in a slow cooker (added garlic, potatoes, kale, carrot, onion, etc). When I’m home in New York I try to cook every day, or I art direct my boyfriend to cook for me!”

Tuesday

9:30am:
“My Muay Thai trainer put me through a rigorous cardio workout. I just started doing it about a month ago, and I’m completely addicted. He doesn’t treat me like ‘some girl,’ he trains me as if I’m going to become a professional fighter, and I love it! It’s a great cardio workout and a big stress reliever for me. Martial arts training has replaced my treadmill time.”

11:00am:
“Headed to a model casting. I think most models are too aware of their bodies — especially lingerie and swimwear models — but I workout and I eat healthy and just try to tell myself, ‘there’s only so much you can do.’”

12:30pm:
“Picked up a romaine salad with olives, feta cheese, avocado and walnuts with a balsamic vinaigrette. I get moody when I don’t eat.”

3:30pm:
“Headed to movie audition. I honestly don’t know if acting is something I can do well, but I’ve gotten good feedback so far, so I’m going to keep learning and keep trying.”

7:00pm:
“Made dinner: put Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, zucchini and squash with olive oil in the oven. I generally don’t like to eat carbohydrates for dinner or any meal where carbs are the main part. A side of potatoes or something, sure, but I really try to avoid heavy meals at night.”

Wednesday

11:00am:
“Meeting with my stylist. I have a bunch of big red carpet launch parties before the Sports Illustrated launch, which take a lot of prep work. It’s a big team effort! With all the awards shows and Fashion Week going on, everyone is sort of competing for dresses.

1:00pm:
“Arrived home, made an avocado, swiss cheese and alfalfa sprout sandwich with lime juice on toasted wheat bread. Drank a bottle of water. Except for wine, I really only drink water — if you just cut juice and sodas out, you’d probably cut more than half your daily calories without even thinking about it.”

3-5:00pm:
“Did laundry and packed for tonight’s flight to the SI shoot. Since I won’t have time for a workout, I do some yoga poses at home to try to counter the effects of sitting on a plane for so many hours.” 

5:00pm:
“Headed to the airport [for the flight to Panama.]”

Thursday:

7:00am:
“I woke up early to do some yoga exercises and stretches to prepare my body to stand in awkward positions all day. Hips, for me, are most important. I usually do pigeon pose since it’s such a good hip opener.”

7:30am:
“When I get to set I have tea and toast. Here we go!”

Curious how a health pro eats and exercises? Read our diary of a master trainer.

If Elle Macpherson is “The Body,” model Linda Baltes is the body and the brains. Between posing for magazine covers and fitness shoots, she manages to hold down demanding jobs with the Air Force and a Biotech company. With constant cross-country commutes, the triple-careerwoman keeps exercise a top priority to stay sane. ”Creative time management and planning becomes paramount to stay in shape,” she says. We asked her to record three days in her jam-packed life:

Monday

5:00am:
“I work in corporate Biotech sales and travel almost every week (Can we say Up in the Air?). Today I have to catch an early morning flight to the East Coast. I make a smoothie packed with acai, protein, kefir, bee pollen and olive leaf then pack fruit, a protein bar and tea bags for the plane.”

7-11:30am:
“On the plane, I power out emails to try and get ahead of the week. I always travel with a clean, moisturized face and carry a spritzer of Evian.”

noon:
“Why is it so hard to find non-stop flights these days? During the layover, I stop at my favorite lunch spot at O’Hare Airport, Argo Tea, for a crustless quiche and iced green tea ginger drink.”

4:00pm:
“Commute to the hotel, which I already know has a great gym. (I always preplan and find a local college or rec center where I can swim in a pinch).” 

7:00pm:
“Company work dinner. Given that I have lots of these, I use the following strategies: find a coworker who likes to split an entree, or order sides only.”

A day in the life of Linda Baltes: group workouts with the Air Force, a tea break and cross-country commuting.

Tuesday

6:30am:
“Still in NYC, today is a shoot day. I sneak in a light morning workout — a slow jog and some stretching. I know the shoot will be challenging, but it wakes me up, gets me loose and helps set the tone for the day.”

7:00am:
“Light breakfast of tea, greek yogurt and fresh fruit, then it’s transit time! It’s fun for a West Coast girl to navigate the subways.”

8:00am:
“Wardrobe, hair and makeup. Feels so glamorous every time!”

9:00am:
“It’s a video shoot, and we’re filming cardio routines, so sweating was highly encouraged. The action-packed two hours included jumping, jogging, plyometrics and my favorite new move­: explosive pushups. Start on the ground in a traditional push up and then “explode” to standing.”

11:00am:
“Lunch! And given my light breakfast, by now I’m hungry for the salad, salmon and lots more water.”

5:00pm: